Called Mocton

I've been trying to call the nurses in Moncton all week because I need advice. I always get the answering machine.  I hate to leave messages so I didn't. I've called and spoke to Rinette twice. I called the nurses this morning and did leave a message to call me back but nothing yet. Thing is if I don't hear from them I will have to get an appointment with my Doctor because I can't let it go till Monday. Wish they'd call back. I can't take the iron pills. They give me diarrhea too too bad. I can't afford to lose that much fluid either, but having lost so much blood I need an iron suppliment I think. Maybe not but I need to ask someone.

Jocelyn called me back. The bariatric team were not in today, she just popped in and heard my msg. She said to go see my family Dr. I did. she changed my iron and ordered chewable gravol and gave me some pills for thrush and told me to brush vigoursly each time I do the mouthwash. I forgot to ask if rnyers can take immodium. Does anyone know?

Hi Maggie

Glad you made it to the dr. As far as immodium it might be a no no - ask the pharmacy to look it up in the "blue bible" and they will tell you for sure......Hope you are feeling better soon.

Maggie if your iron is too low for too long ask for a referal to a hematologist and they may end up recommending iron infusion by IV method. My hemoglobin went as low as 53 post op and in 8 months I have brought it up to around 112 I think - get febs bloodwork back next week  - tell ya I have a heck of a lot more energy now than at 53 .... but my surgeon would like to see it around 140 cause of heavy periods.

Hang in there girly just keep asking and chking and doing and pluggin away -this will all pass and you will be off and on your way. Just keep sippin - how are you doing today with the nausea ?

take care,
hugs
deb

Maggie

When I look up imodium there is conflicting info - it looks like it is probably ok but you always want to make sure so chk with the pharmacy.

Let me know if I can help in anyway .

deb

Thanks Debbie, I'm starting to think maybe the diarrhea isn't caused by the iron at all. Today, whenever I ate or drank, I immediately had to run to the potty. I just don't know.

Maggie what iron do they have you taking- usually post RNY iron like even with non surgery patients will make it the other way - nothing will move - I take Palafer which is ferrous fumerate it is supposed to have a better absorbancy rate the ferrous glutenate....

I take 600 mg which is two capsules a day - I take it at night last thing before I go to bed with vitamin c - the vitamin c helps with absorption and the hematologist said that I will get my highest absorption rate then rather than taking it in the morning where possible calcium from dairy or supplements will affect absorption.

When I would take it other times during the day I would get an upset stomach by taking it before bed maybe I just dont know i have an upset tummy but it doesnt make me ill.

I just have to really work on my fibre intake to balance the 600 mg of iron so I dont get too bunged up.

Like I said pooping is a big part of my life now to make sure that I am regular!!! LOL

What is your hemoglobin number post op ?

take care
deb

It was all such a blurr. Pre op it was 140. Perfect. Next morning I think it was 74 and that's why I got rushed back to surg. On the day I came home it was 88 so much better. Dr. B. gave me palafer 1 cap daily. I was taking it first thing in the am with apple juice. Then I'd go shower and all the doings so it would be almost be an hour before I came back for breakfast of water and cream of wheat. I blamed palafer for diarrhea so asked my family Dr. for something else. She prescribed slow-fe. I haven't filled the script yet. I didn't take an iron pill today and still had diarrhea so it may not be the culprit.

You know I hate to be negitive about my own profession but all Thursday night I had complained about feeling like I was unable to breathe and pain in my upper chest and not being able to draw a deep breath, I was chided that my o2 sats were 98% and I just needed to blow in the incentive spirometer  and try harder to take deep breaths and was even gotten up twice to pee. Scary to think all of this time I was bleeding to death. Scary. It wasn't tii morning when the icu doctor came in to do rounds that it was noticed. He listened to my chest because I was adamant that I couldn't breathe and he called in the sicu surgeon. The human body holds approx 4.7 liters of blood normally.